Bull’s-eye There’s nothing we like more than to send our intrepid, albeit slightly nervous features writer, Matt, to brave whatever adventures we deem fun and/or silly enough to make us laugh. This month, Matt tackles… archery Who didn’t play cowboys and Indians when they were growing up? I did, and I remember how accurate I was back then with my imaginary bow and arrow (fashioned, quite accurately, I thought, from a coat hanger), so I feel more than confident that after a few sessions with the Dubai Archers I’ll be able to fire a real arrow and split an apple from 70 metres away. Bring. It. On.
GETTING STARTED
Archery is more complicated than you’d think. A lot more complicated. The terminology alone is enough to baffle Stephen Hawking but, luckily, instructor Rao is on hand to talk me through the basics, such as determining which is my dominant eye. Turns out it’s my right one. Cracking. All fired up, I fire off a few imaginary arrows with my bow (known as ‘dry firing’ in the sport). Big mistake. The string whips into the forearm of my bow
arm, and boy, does it sting. Lesson learnt, and with Rao’s “don’t do that again” warning still ringing in my ears, I’m ready to do it for real.
THE STAGES
The process of shooting is broken down into stages – stance, nock, set, pre-draw, draw, release. See, told you it was complicated. The thinking is that if you can perfect each stage you can develop a routine and improve your consistency. I strap on an arm guard, give a half-hearted shout of ‘Release!’ and unload my first set of arrows. Not bad – not bad at all, considering the shaking from the string tension. I’m secretly smug, and start working on a series of Robin Hood jokes.
SAFETY
There’s no geting away from it – in the wrong hands these babies could do some serious damage, and, not unsurprisingly, safety
is key. Rules are enforced rigidly on the range at all times, the most important of which being ‘only collect your arrows once everyone has finished shooting and an all clear is given’. Having watched the speed of the arrows fly, I’m more than happy to comply – after all, I’ve just worked out which is my dominate eye, so feel in no hurry to lose it.
GROUPING
Surprisingly, the aim of the game, for beginners anyway, is not so much to hit the bull’s-eye, but rather to get all your arrows close together on the target. You can always adjust your sight after – if you can group them around the bull’s-eye you’re on the right track. Having a close grouping shows that you have a steady technique, which, can only
be perfected after hours of practice. However, it’s all very addictive, especially when the shots start going your way, so the hours just fly by.
VERDICT
Once the basics have been mastered, then archery is all about practice. Put in the hours, and you’ll start to see results, and with Rao and the other archers more than happy to give out advice my skills were improving constantly. OK, I wouldn’t volunteer to let me shoot an apple off your head just yet, but with more practice, fruit everywhere will fear for its life. Dubai Archers, Sharjah Wanderers Golf Club, Fri 8am to12.30pm, Dhs50. Tel: (050) 5580951. dubaiarchers.com
The stages
1
Stance Stand side on to the target with your feet shoulder-width apart, spreading your weight equally.
2
Nock and Set Take an arrow and place the nock on the string underneath the nocking point. Place your bow hand in the bow grip. Hook the string with three fingers, one above the arrow nock, two below.
3
Pre-draw Keep your bow arm straight as you lift the bow to shoulder height.
4
Draw Pull back on the string using your shoulder and back muscles. Hold at the anchor point, with your index finger touching the corner of your mouth, close your non-dominate eye.
5
Release Line up your aim, pull the string back and relax your fingers on the draw hand.
AUGUST 2011 WHAT’S ON 67